Apparatus for localized preform cooling outside the mold
AssigneeHusky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
InventorsFaisal Oueslati, Tiemo Brand, Witold Neter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for providing targeted cooling to a pre-molded article, such as a preform. A cooling pin is inserted into the preform such that it makes contact with targeted area, such as the mold gate area. This permits conductive cooling of the targeted area. The apparatus and method are particularly suited to post-mold cooling in conjunction with a robotic take-out plate.
Claims25
An apparatus for providing targeted cooling to a molded article in a post-mold operation, comprising:
- a cooling pin, disposed apart from the mold and having a targeting portion configured to conform to a targeted area on an inside surface of a partially cooled article outside the mold, the targeting area comprising less than the entire inside surface of the partially cooled article;
- means, disposed apart from the mold, to insert the cooling pin into the partially cooled article outside the mold such that the targeting portion contacts the corresponding inside surface of the targeted area;
- and
- means to cool the pin to conductively cool the targeted area.
Apparatus for cooling an injection-molded plastic preform after it is removed from a mold, comprising:
- a cooling pin disposed outside the mold and having at least one interior passage for circulating a cooling medium inside said cooling pin, said cooling pin having an enlarged head for cooling a head portion of the plastic preform outside the mold, the enlarged head comprising less than an entire outer surface of the cooling pin;
- and
- take-off structure which removes the plastic preform from the mold and places it over said cooling pin to cause said cooling pin enlarged head to cool the plastic preform head portion.
Apparatus for cooling a plurality of plastic injection-molded preforms outside a mold, comprising:
- a plurality of cooling pins disposed outside the mold to cool a corresponding plurality of plastic preforms after a molding operation, each cooling pin having a surface which varies to cool a predetermined targeted area of the corresponding plastic preform outside the mold, each cooling pin having internal structure for circulating a cooling fluid inside said cooling pin, the targeted area of each preform comprising less than an entire inner surface of the preform;
- and
- take-off structure which removes the plurality of plastic preforms from the mold and places them over said plurality of cooling pins outside the mold, to cause said plurality of cooling pins to cool the predetermined targeted areas of the corresponding plastic preforms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.